The Fourth Goddess
by Flightgirl
Summary: We know the legend of the Golden Goddesses who created Hyrule, but there is another part that has been ommited from memory; the reason that there us a hole in the Triforce. Now something more dangerous that anything is rising again, and she wants revenge.
1. Prologue

**So i know that i have a whole wack of stories on the go right now, and i _promised_ myself that i wouldn't start another fic until i have at least one of my other ones done, but...well, this story idea has been bugging me for a long time and i couldn't not do it any longer. Mind you, this is only the prologue.****I will continue on my other fics as regularly as normal (which isn't all that regularly, i'm afraid), so this story will be slow-going. It will be one that i write when i have no inspiration for any of my other stories, or if i have an idea for it that i just _have_ to get down. Unless, of course, it becomes quite popular. I had the same plan for Gotta Catch em All, but now i write that more than any others :) So to all of you reading this, _please_ review. Obviously if no one likes it, i'll take it down and not bother. But if you are interested, i'll get to work in the spare time i have between other stories.**

**Disclaimer: Do you _think _I own the Legend of Zelda?**

**PS: this fic will mostly be set very shortly after Ocarina of Time.**

**I hope you enjoy the prologue of The Fourth Goddess :)**

_

* * *

Before Time began, before Spirits or Life existed…_

_Three Golden Goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule…_

_Din…The Goddess of Power…_

_Nayru…The Goddess of Wisdom…_

_Farore…The Goddess of Courage…_

_Din…With her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth…_

_Nayru…She poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the Spirit of Law to the world…_

_Farore…With her rich soul, she produced all life forms who would uphold the law…_

_The three great Goddesses, their labours completed, departed for the heavens…_

_And golden Sacred Triangles remained at the point where the Goddesses left the world._

_Their presence has attracted many in search of their Power, Wisdom, and Courage…_

_But…_

_There was another part to the legend; a part erased from every memory and even from the center of the Triforce itself, in an attempt to hide it forever…_

_A fourth Golden Goddess, the most powerful of them all…_

_Sharah…The Goddess of Destruction…_

_With her manipulative heart, she corrupted the Law set by her sister Nayru and brought Evil into the world…Her actions pitted the lives of every being against the other, bringing destruction upon the face of all of Hyrule…_

_Her sisters were furious at her deed…_

_Wise Nayru tried to erase her actions by restoring order, but the damage done was far too great for herto repair completely…_

_Courageous Farore attempted to create a new race that could not become subject to Sharah's destructive influence, but her efforts were lost as, race after race, all beings developed an amount of evil in their hearts…_

_Even Powerful Din could not defeat her sister as she endeavoured to vanquish her presence…_

_It was not until the three Golden Goddesses—Din, Nayru, and Farore—joined together could they defeat their corrupt sister, and even then, they could merely banish her to an unknown existence trapped and powerless in the Sacred Realm. They believed her fate to be sealed when the Evil-Slaying Blade was in place…_

_Sharah's existence was forgotten by all—even her sister's—and the foolish Sages even built a Temple in the Realm in which she was trapped. But this was not the end of the Goddess of Destruction. She would be back…_

_All I had to do was bide my time, and wait for some fool to come along and try to be a hero…_

* * *

A little boy with blond hair and blue eyes stepped up to the Alter in the Temple of Time, with the three Spiritual Stones at the ready. After reading the inscription, he placed the magical stones on the Alter and took out his Ocarina. After dutifully playing the Song of Time, the large Door of Time opened. The fairy called Navi flew ahead to the inner chamber.

"Link, isn't that…?"

The boy joined her and they stared at the object before them.

"It's that legendary blade…" she continued. "The Master Sword!"

Link slowly approached the Blade that repels evil and placed his hands on the hilt. _Can I do this?_ He felt his body tingle as the magic from the Master Sword entered his fingers and spread throughout his entire being. Taking a deep breath, the Hero of Time slowly lifted the blade from its resting place.

Suddenly, a dark voice entered the room and echoed menacingly in the chamber. "Excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time. You have lead me to the gates of the Sacred Realm… Yes, I owe it all to you, kid!" His horrible laughter bounced off the walls and filled the air as all faded to white…

But when the King of the Gerudos had left with his piece of the Triforce and Link had disappeared, a new voice entered the room as a dark purple essence seeped from the slit in the stone that once held the Master Sword. _"At last…"_ the dark feminine voice breathed. _"I am free…"_

* * *

Far in the west reaches of the land, in a place where sandstorms rage freely and forever, a young boy wandered aimlessly, lost in the cloud of dust. The rough sand had filled his white hair, giving it an odd tan appearance. His amethyst eyes were squinted, with a hand held over them to protect them from the flying dirt. Every time he parted his lips to breath he was greeted with a mouthful sand. His clothes were unsuited for the harsh conditions he was suffering through; with his black tunic and sandals, he was mostly unprotected as it tore at his flesh.

He stumbled in the desert for what seemed an eternity, trying to get back to wherever it was that he came from, when he tripped and landed face-down in the dirt. There he panted and spat sand, his face hidden in his hands. The boy crawled blindly along the desert floor, his hands groping the sand as he pulled himself along. His fingers touched something, and his eyes squinted open and he clasped his hand around it. The object sparkled in his fingers as he pulled it closer to examine it.

It was an amethyst stone in a diamond shape, with a twisted gold serpent curling around it. The mouth of the snake was attached to the top point of the stone, as though it were trying to devour it. Yet the stone itself shone brightly, as though happy to be found.

As the boy with white hair gazed at the stone, a voice dripping malice filled his ears, heard above the howling wind of the desert storm and the whining of the ghosts that haunted this barren land.

"_There you are," _the voice whispered, though to him it was like a raging river.

Suddenly, the gale ceased and the boy found himself surrounded by a violet mist. As he watched, the essence gathered together into a glowing orb not ten feet from where he was huddled in the sand.

"_I knew you would be here, Chosen," _it said, chuckling._ "I felt your presence as you neared my Stone."_

"Wh-what are you talking about?" the boy asked quietly, pushing himself to his feet in the sand and holding the amethyst tightly. His eyes shimmered with it, so that the two looked as one.

The being chuckled again, floating closer to him. _"In time, young Chosen. In time…"_

With no further warning, the violet sphere slammed into the boy's chest, knocking him backwards in the sand as it was absorbed by his body. The amethyst stone flew out of his hand as he landed hard on his back. At the same time, a ripping pain burned itself into the back of his left hand.

The wind began again, whipping sand into the air around them. A voice filled the boy's mind as he lay panting in the sand and an odd sensation filled him.

"_You are powerful, Chosen…" _the voice whispered in his head. _"You will help me accomplish what I began. Your strength will be my strength, and mine yours. You will be my eyes and ears. Your memories will become my own. Together, we will be undefeatable, even by the Great Goddesses. With you, my Chosen, I shall have my revenge."_

The words echoed in his mind as his vision faded to black as he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey hey! So here it is…the first chapter! Btw, when I said it takes place shortly after the end of Ocarina of Time, I meant that it's a few years after…seven, to be exact. Link is the same age as he was when he sealed Ganondorf away. And he still remembers everything that happened in that alternate future. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own em, not claiming em.**

Chapter 1

_Seven years later_

"_NO!_"

The Hero of Time awoke with a panicked cry, jolting into a sitting position and grasping his chest. Cold sweat dripped from his paled forehead as he sat in bed, panting hard and trembling, when a light purple fairy flew into his room.

"Hey!"

"Hi, Navi," Link replied quietly, relaxing slightly even though his heart was still pounding.

Navi hovered in close to him. "That dream again?"

He nodded. For weeks he'd been waking up from some horrible nightmare, but he could never remember anything what happened in it. Whatever it was, it always woke him up in a cold sweat and panic. He shook his head helplessly.

"I do not understand this, my friend," he told his fairy. "I feel as though the Goddesses are trying to tell me something, but the message remains unclear."

"I'm sure it's nothing," she replied with a slight giggle. "Your mind is likely on the events of your childhood."

Sighing, Link nodded and forced a smile. "Yes. I suppose you are right."

Time. It was such a confusing matter to one so much a part of it as he. Being the Hero of Time, he had travelled through the span of seven years to defeat Ganon, and though his body had been that of the young adult he was now, he had still been merely a child. After he defeated Ganondorf, he had returned to his childhood and the world had lived in peace instead of darkness for the past seven years.

"Come on!" Navi exclaimed, tugging at her companion's blonde locks playfully. "Did you forget that Princess Zelda wants to see you today?"

"Oh!" He had forgotten. The young man jumped out of his bed, nearly hitting his head on the low ceiling of his run-down Castle Town apartment. He pulled on his boots and green tunic, slung the Master Sword and his Hylian Shield over his shoulder, and grabbed his bow and arrows before bolting out the door and into the back alley of the town. Navi was close behind, giggling at Link's forgetfulness.

It did not take long for the two to arrive at the gates of the castle grounds, where a single guard was stationed. When he reached the guard, Link stopped and placed his hands on his knees, breathing hard to catch his breath. After a moment, he realized the guard was watching him with an odd expression.

"Hi," the Hero panted, waving casually. He took a deep breath and took on a more composed posture, then stated calmly, "I'm here to see Princess Zelda."

The guard rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. Look, kid, how many times do I have to tell you, I can _not_ let you in! Her Highness is very busy with _important matters_!"

Without a word, Link reached into his wallet and pulled out two blue rupees, presenting them to the guard. He looked at them and raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "You're not a kid anymore, kid. We've moved past the stage of you bribing me with ten rupees."

Rolling his eyes, Link shoved the blue rupees back into the pouch and pulled out a red one, holding it out impatiently.

Smiling, the guard took the rupee, inspected it casually, and stuffed it into his own wallet. He then strolled over, unlocked the gate, and stood back to let Link pass. "Cheapskate," Link muttered in passing.

Even though the Hero of Time had never actually saved time as far as anyone but he, Zelda, the Sages, and the Goddesses knew, he had still become well-known throughout the castle of Hyrule. Thus, he had no trouble with the other soldiers once past the gate.

Link strolled through the castle grounds to the castle entrance, through a few brightly lit corridors, and finally, to the open area where he'd had to sneak past the guards when he and Zelda were younger. Zelda was waiting in the small courtyard, sitting impatiently on a white marble bench. She smiled and stood when she saw her company.

"Link!" she said happily, holding her dress off the ground and walking over to him. "I am glad you came!"

Link performed a slight bow in reverence of the Princess. "You wished to see me, Your Highness?"

Zelda punched his shoulder playfully. "Don't call me that!" she ordered.

"As you wish, Princess."

"_Link_!" she whined.

"What else am I supposed to call you?" Link said defensively. "If any of the guards around here found out I call you by name, I'd be thrown in the dungeon. If your _father_ found out, I'd be _beheaded_!"

Zelda sighed. "Fine then. Have it your way. But once we're out of the castle boundaries, I may behead you myself if you continue to call me that. You are my friend, not my servant."

Link nodded, but something in her statement caught his attention. "What makes you think we are leaving the castle boundaries?"

Her face turned serious. "I had a dream."

"So?"

"_Another_ dream."

Link's eyes widened with realization. "Oh! You mean…_Another_ dream?"

She nodded. "One like before, when we were kids."

The Hero of Time hesitated before asking, "What about?"

Zelda motioned for her friend to follow her to the bench, and they both sat. Navi hovered off to the side, situated so that she could pay attention to both sides of whatever conversation occurred.

"It's been happening for the last few nights," the Princess began. "I am in the air, looking over all that is Hyrule. The sky is dark with storm clouds and the land is destroyed. From the forest comes a light, and a boy with a fairy—_you_. The dark clouds retreat to blue skies and all traces of evil disappear. All is peaceful. But then I look to the west, in the desert, and clouds darker than anything I've ever seen before form and spread over the land. Then the clouds part, and ominous violet light envelopes the land before the earth splits into five regions, separating the world. I see beings from every section come together in the center of Hyrule Field as a terrible war begins.

"Then, fire spills over the land from the cracks in the earth, and Hyrule is consumed by flame. In the smoke, an image of you surrounded by the devastation, holding the Master Sword, but it is broken in two. A golden serpent with amethyst eyes is all that remains living around you. It slithers past and into the smoke behind you. Then suddenly, a shadowy figure is behind you. He has a sword and…And then…" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "And then the shadow kills you." Zelda was trembling slightly when she finished and her face had paled. She drew in a shaky breath. "That's when I wake up."

Link was also shaking slightly, for her recollection of her dream seemed familiar, as though he had seen it before. "What…What do you think it means?" he asked slowly.

She sighed. "I am not completely sure, but I'm sure it means we have to go to the Gerudo Desert."

"You mean _I _have to go to the Gerudo Desert," Link corrected.

"What?" she asked unbelievingly.

"You heard me. That desert is no place for a lady, and _especially _for a princess," he said firmly.

"You are _not_ leaving me here while you go off to save the world again," she countered, equally as firm.

"I shall not endanger the Princess of Hyrule."

"You can not stop me from coming!" Zelda declared, angrily standing and placing her hands on her hips. She was on the verge of outrage.

"And _you_, Princess, can not force me to take you. After all, I am your friend; not your servant." Link smiled smugly as Zelda huffed.

"Fine! But do not come crying to me when you die because you did not have backup!"

Link shrugged. "I shall take a fairy. Then if I die, I shall not have to worry about it."

"Fine! Take your silly fairy!"

"I will."

"Fine!"

"Alright."

"Fine!" On that note, the angry Princess turned on her heel and stormed out of the courtyard.

"You did the right thing," Navi said, moving closer to Link. "It would be reckless for her to neglect her duties as a Royal Princess to go gallivanting off, chasing only a dream."

"Do not berate the Princess' dreams, my friend," Link said. "The last one she had saved our world from Ganondorf's influence."

"Yes, but we have nothing to worry about now that Ganon has been sealed away. There is no evil left."

"There is _always_ evil, Navi," Link stated. "It waits in the shadows and strikes when it victim is most vulnerable and unsuspecting. Like a serpent."

"But—you don't really think…?"

Link shrugged and stood. "Only the Great Goddesses know for certain. All I can do is to go to the Desert as Princess Zelda said." With that, he also turned and exited the courtyard, with his fairy companion following closely.

It was half a day's walk to his next destination; Lon Lon Ranch. After returning to his apartment to gather supplies for his trip—bombs, bottles, boomerang, longshot, his Ocarina, some fruit and cheese, and his other tunics (just in case)—, he parted for his short trip.

The journey to the ranch was uneventful; even boring, as far as Link was concerned. However he reached the place at early evening unscathed, which he was thankful for. But then again, one could go anywhere during this time of peace and remain unscathed.

"Fairy Boy!" the young girl Malon exclaimed upon seeing their visitor. She ran over from the coral, where Ingo was rounding up the horses to put in for the night.

"What are you doing here, Link?" she asked with a smile when she reached him.

"I came to get Epona," he replied. "I am taking a short trip, and where I am in a sort of hurry, I figure it would be faster to take the best horse this side of Hyrule."

"_Anywhere_," Malon corrected with a bright smile. Then she frowned. "But, you can't be thinking of taking her _tonight_."

"Well, I am in a hurry…"

"Malon?" A man poked his head out the door of the ranch house curiously. "Who are you talking to?" His eyes fell on Link, and then widened in surprise as he started towards the two.

"Look father! Link has come to visit us!" Malon explained happily. "He is going to stay the night."

"What?!" Link asked, wide eyed. He turned to Talon. "Oh no, sir. I just came by to get my horse. I must leave for the desert tonight, so that I can return to the Castle Town as soon as possible."

"Nonsense, my boy!" Talon declared. "You can start off first thing in the morning. You'll need your rest if you plan on braving the desert."

Despite his protests, Talon and Malon began guiding Link along to their house. Finally sighing in defeat, Link allowed them to lead him inside. Protesting would be pointless; he already knew that this was one battle he could not win.

"So what's taking you to the desert?" Malon asked curiously once Link was settled into his room.

"I'm just checking something out," he replied. "Making sure everyone is keeping the peace." It wasn't a total lie.

"I see," Malon said with a smile. "Have there been any…incidents?"

Link chuckled slightly. "No, nothing like that."

When he offered no further explanation, Malon sensed that the topic was close to discussion and dropped it. The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Malon finally worked up the courage to tell him something.

"Link, I—"

At that moment, the door to the guest bedroom opened and Talon stuck his head in. "Malon, honey, it's getting late. We should let Link get his rest."

Sighing, the ranch girl stood from her seat beside Link and joined her father at the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Fairy Boy," she said with a slight wink before disappearing into the hallway.

Talon turned to Link. "Have a good sleep, my boy," he said heartily. "And I don't want to see again till mornin'. You gotta keep your strength up, young man."

Link smiled. "Yes sir."

The ranch owner smiled and pulled the door to as he left.

Link sighed and rubbed his temples. "So much for making a _two day _trip. This will put me a full day behind schedule, and unless Epona suddenly learns how to teleport, this will be pushing it to three. And that's _if_ there are no other interruptions."

"Well, they have a point. There is no sense in wearing yourself out over such a trivial thing. Even the Hero of Time needs his rest before chasing a dream," Navi said. If she had a mouth, she would have had a teasing smile on her lips.

Link, however, was not amused. "I would not advise that you pass this off as a mere figment of the imagination, Navi. Why would Zelda imagine something so horrible?"

"A mind is a frightening place," the fairy replied. "Sometimes we can not help what we dream."

"Still," Link said seriously, "I will not ignore this vision of hers. There may be something behind it, and the only way I can know for sure is to go to the Gerudo Desert and see for myself."

"If it will put your mind at ease," Navi replied with a hint of annoyance.

Link sighed again and lay back on the bed. "Get some rest Navi. We leave _first thing_ in the morning."

A few hours later, the little purple fairy was woken by movement in the room, and she saw Link already up and gathering his stuff. "What are you doing?" she asked drowsily.

"We're leaving now," he said simply.

"But it's midnight!"

"Exactly. It's morning. We are leaving." He slung his sword and shield over his shoulder so that it covered his small pack and turned to face his companion. "Are you coming?"

Drearily, the fairy lifted itself off the pillow and followed Link out the door, through the henhouse, and outside to the stables.

All the horses were sleeping except for one feisty creature in the far corner stable. The filly neighed happily when she saw her master and friend approaching. "Shh, easy girl," Link soothed, patting his horse's nose. She grunted in content. "I have missed you too, Epona." The Hero of Time then walked over to one of the cows in the stables opposite of his horse.

"Hey Sonia," he said gently, touching the cow's nose lightly to wake her. "Are you going to give me some milk for my trip?" He reached into his pack and pulled out his Ocarina, then played a soft melody, after which the cow mooed and allowed Link to milk her. He turned to Navi with a sly grin. "I know I told Zelda I would take a fairy, but I do not have time to find a fountain. Not that I should need one, anyway."

In another few minutes, Link had moved Epona from the stables and was saddling her in the coral. "There you go, girl," he said softly to his eager ride. "Are you ready to take me to save the world again?"

"Save the world?" A soft, melodic voice sounded from behind Link, startling him.

He whipped around, his heart beating hard in his chest, but relaxed when he saw who it was. "Malon, what are you doing out here?"

"I should ask you the same question," she said, frowning. "I thought you were not leaving till morning."

"It is morning," he replied matter-of-factly. "Your father did not say what time in the morning it had to be before I could go."

Malon nodded comprehendingly, but still looked troubled. "What did you mean, 'save the world again'?"

Link shifted nervously. "Um, nothing, I just…"

"You're not doing anything dangerous, are you Fairy Boy?"

"No. Of course not."

She did not look convinced. "Why are you going to the desert?"

"To make sure everyone is keeping the peace."

She shook her head and set her jaw, looking at Link with stern eyes. "Why are you _really_ going to the desert?"

Link sighed and looked helplessly at Navi, then turned back to Malon while subconsciously combing Epona's mane with his fingers. "The Princess had a dream," he said carefully. "She dreamt that something bad is coming from the west."

Malon's eyes widened. "Really? What?"

Link shook his head. "I can not say for sure, but I'm going to make sure it was _only_ a dream. If all is well, I will make it a point to tell you all about it."

"Oh…" She cast her eyes down to her feet for a moment. "Is it…dangerous?"

"I do not believe so, but one can never tell with the desert."

Her worried eyes met his lively and playful ones. She stepped closer so that she was only a few inches from him and gazed up into his brightly lit blue orbs. "Link…" she whispered, leaning in. "If…If something happened to you…" her eyes fell away as she tried to hide her feelings from him.

He lifted her chin gently and locked his eyes with hers again. "It won't," he said firmly but quietly. He wiped a small tear away from her cheek and smiled a smile that nearly melted Malon's knees.

"Link…" she said again, barely breathing. "I…" Then, without warning, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "Be careful."

Link smiled and hugged his friend back. "Don't worry. I will."

Their embrace lasted a few moments before Navi interrupted.

"Hey!" she said loudly and impatiently. "Shouldn't we be getting along, Link?"

The two friends broke apart and Link nodded, still watching Malon. "Yes. We should be going." He smiled one last time before turning and climbing onto Epona. "Take care of yourself, Malon."

She blushed in the moonlight and nodded, then watched sadly as Link nudged Epona's sides and she took off, heading for Hyrule field. "I love you," she whispered after him.

**Well, I'm a little upset right now. For some reason, people seem to have a problem with me lately. With this story, anyways. Look, I don't care if you don't review (though, reviews are nice ;D). I don't care if you flame. You can hate the story with a passion if you feel like it. But **_**please **_**do it NICELY! That includes anonymous reviewers! I will delete not-nice anonymous reviews. And honestly, if you don't like the game/book/cartoon/etc. that the story is about, or if you don't like what the summery implies, why in the world would you go into the story that you despise so much and blow up at me for liking it? I'm not doing a thing to offend anyone! These are my ideas, and if you don't like the sound of my ideas, **_**then don't read them! **_

**Btw, a very big THANK YOU to a certain person for apologizing. You know who you are. Like I've been saying, I like polite people. Thank you for being polite :)**


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